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Briefly explained – Affective Computing

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Why should I read an article about Affective Computing?

Durch intelligente Algorithmen werden Emotionen und Stimmungen erkannt und entsprechend verarbeitet. small

No question, computers are intelligent. But technology has no feelings? That is true, but it is becoming more and more empathetic. Intelligent algorithms detect emotions and moods and process them accordingly. This offers many new applications for artificial intelligence and supports you in both professional and private everyday life. Here we explain what Affective Computing is, where it is most commonly used so far and everything else, .

Intelligent algorithms detect emotions and moods and process them accordingly.

Affective Computing ist ein interdisziplinäres Gebiet bei dem Erkenntnisse aus der Computerwissenschaft Psychologie und kognitiven Wissenschaften einfließen und kombiniert werden. small

Affective computing is an interdisciplinary field in which insights from computer science, psychology and cognitive sciences are incorporated and combined. In order to develop machines that are not only intelligent, but can also correctly classify feelings, knowledge from all three areas is needed. In 1995, the term was coined by Rosalind Picard and has been continuously developed ever since.
Affective computing is based on machine learning. This trains the respective algorithm to recognize the feelings correctly and to react appropriately to them. The goal is to equip computers with emotional intelligence and have them simulate empathy so that an appropriate machine response to human action can be selected.

To recognize feelings, four different data sources are currently used. This can be visual data through images or videos, audio data, texts or physiological data. This allows the machine to recognize the basic emotions as well as to react appropriately to feelings that cannot be understood in words.
For analysis from image or video data, the technology evaluates people’s facial expressions. Facial analysis is particularly easy when a person is sitting in front of a PC or smartphone, as the facial expressions can be easily captured and evaluated via the webcam.

In telephone calls, on the other hand, audio data is used. Here, the speed, pitch and volume of the voice are assigned to the corresponding emotional condition. For example, if a person is excited, the voice usually gets faster and words are swallowed.
Similarly, texts are evaluated by sentiment analysis. They are divided into positive and negative texts by intelligent algorithms and thus also very extensive content is evaluated automatically. The mood of entire online communities and their attitude towards your company can be evaluated by the text data, for example. If negative comments and posts accumulate, this could indicate an impending shitstorm and give you early indications of countermeasures to be taken.

If none of the three data sources can be used, physiological data can also provide accurate conclusions about the emotion. The heart rate, the surface temperature of the skin and movement patterns, such as going up and down, can categorise a person’s mood. This data is mainly provided by wearables or smartphones. For example, if the heart rate is increased, the skin temperature is higher and the person moves jerky and aimlessly, this can indicate a negative emotional state, such as stress or aggressiveness.

In which areas is Affective Computing used?

In welchen Bereichen wird Affective Computing angewendet small

Affective computing now has many applications. In call centers, human phone agents are supported by artificial intelligence to provide even better service. This works by analysing the changes in language and tone and the appropriate tips on how best to respond to them. The desirable course of the conversation is thus controlled by intelligent algorithms. Or the customer is analyzed and classified by an upstream computer call and then assigned to a suitable agent specializing in mood. In this way, customers can be forwarded to apprentices in a good mood and those who have already shouted at the computer voice can be forwarded to customer service experts.

Chatbots also use affective computing to enable a natural conversation history. The same applies to other text-based interfaces, where emotional intelligence also avoids the feeling of writing with a robot and enables communication like with another human being. Smartphone sensors, smart home systems and various wearables are also likely to be increasingly enriched with affective computing in the future.

. This technique can be used in email communication with customers as well as in social media to analyze comments, moods of followers and attitudes towards the brand.
But affective computing is also used successfully in areas beyond customer service and marketing. In teaching, especially in online or remote education, the lack of personal interaction is compensated by affective computing. The mood of the student can be analyzed and the curriculum adapted accordingly and exercises selected appropriately. This can be helpful support for learning platforms, e-training programmes, but also for tutors and improve learning success.

Affective computing is also becoming increasingly popular in the healthcare sector, especially in the care of the elderly, due to the lack of staff. Emotional intelligence can assess patients and take or order appropriate measures. .
In the development of video games for entertainment or therapy, more and more technology of affective computing is also being incorporated.

Conclusion on Affective Computing

Affective Computing bietet Unternehmen die Möglichkeit eine noch bessere und tiefere Beziehung zu ihren Kunden aufzubauen small

As you can see, Affective Computing is still in its infancy, but already offers numerous and useful applications. Related areas, such as biofeedback and human-computer interaction, are also constantly evolving, enabling even more possibilities and more sophisticated techniques. All in all, Affective Computing is already very accurate and in most cases manages to analyze feelings correctly.

Affective computing gives companies the opportunity to build an even better and deeper relationship with their customers. Through the precise recording of human behavior and the evaluation of emotions and movements, a comprehensive picture of the customer can be drawn and individually addressed to him and his current situation. Of course, there are also dangers. The enormous amounts of data must be processed and stored securely in order to avoid misuse. The privacy of the customer should also be respected, despite the great knowledge about him, and advertising measures should also be evaluated from an ethical point of view.

The field will certainly find many new and creative applications in the future, as a lot is happening here at the moment and new techniques and algorithms are constantly being developed. It is therefore worth sticking to current developments and considering where affective computing could support one’s own company.

Servant Leadership – End outdated leadership approaches!

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Stop outdated leadership approaches! This is being demanded more and more and the world of work is currently in a state of upheaval. Work on an equal footing, personal responsibility and flat hierarchies offer many advantages and help companies to innovate and create more. In the course of new work and agility, the Servant Leadership concept is also becoming more and more important. With Servant Leadership, you can expand your repertoire of leadership styles and expand and consolidate your skills as a leader. You can find out exactly what this leadership style is behind, how you apply it, and whether it suits you in this article.

Benefits of Salesforce Integration in Google Analytics 360 Suite

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Salesforce and Google Analytics 360 are each market leaders at their level. One in the CRM area, the other in the analysis of customer data. The evaluation of the respective data often takes a lot of time and is very tedious in the gathering. Fortunately, there’s the possibility of Salesforce integration with the Google Analytics 360 Suite. You can read about the advantages it offers and why it is indispensable here.

Consent instead of Consensus – Agile Decision-Making

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Teams and groups working on projects must make decisions – and together. As a rule, these decisions cannot be taken until everyone gives their consent. If there is even one person with a veto, the decision-making process can be very protracted. This is definitely not the best solution. Consent and the accompanying agile decision-making are the magic words.

Project management with Trello

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Project management is not without. Keeping a cool head and keeping an overview is the be-all and end-all here. This is above all about the right planning. If this goes wrong, something is miscalculated or even forgotten, this can have a very negative effect on the later steps in the project. Trello is available to avoid this and to be optimally positioned in project management.

Adobe Analytics and Google Analytics 360 in comparison

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Knowing the customer and his behaviour is essential for any company. This is the only way to initiate and take action. Two tools to help with this are Adobe Analytics and competitor Google Analytics 360. Both evaluate a wide range of data from users and thus help companies to act sensibly. You can find out here what both tools can do, where the differences are and what is more recommended.

Employability in times of digitalization

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Employability Management has been a major trend in human resources for some time. But not only as an entrepreneur or a recruiter, the knowledge of employability helps you, also for employees it is an interesting concept that is worth rethinking. Read what Employability is and why you or your employees should get fit for the job market in this article.

With Activity Based Working (ABW) to increase creativity and performance

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Activity Based Working, or ABW for short, is currently THE trend in the design of offices and workspaces. It promises more flexibility, autonomy and productivity through a suitable and thoughtful design of the environment. Never heard of it? Not bad, in this article we explain what Activity Based Working is and how to use it to find more creativity and performance.

What is Activity Based Working?

Technological advances mean that the traditional working model of sitting at a fixed desk in an office from 8 to 5 is becoming less and less popular. It is replaced by co-working spaces, cool loft offices with a roof terrace and meeting rooms that can be rented by the hour.

The idea of Activity Based Working is based on the realization that productivity is increased when there is an appealing environment with many choices. Today, we’re used to getting tailored deals, such as Netflix, YouTube, delivery services or travel. Why should this be different in working life?
Here it is particularly important that our environment meets the requirements of the respective task and supports us in its implementation.

Further advantages are the proactive exchange, also between hierarchy levels (these are still strongly present at all). This increases the creativity and productivity of the employees and thus improves the performance. Employee satisfaction and health are also increasing and absences are reduced. Back discomfort decreases, as the changing seating positions and intermediate standing phases are particularly ergonomic. The different character traits are optimally supported, as both extroverted and introverted employees find suitable work zones for them to flourish. All of course big pluses.

Some companies are even pushing this concept to the extreme by building entire worlds of experience and leaving it to employees when and where they want to work. The rooms can also be used for leisure and work hours. This requires a lot of mutual trust and creates a work-life flow in which work and private life increasingly merge into each other.

This, as I said, naturally brings many advantages, but also a few disadvantages should be taken into account:

  • It can be additional stress for employees to find a place in the morning and have to decide again and again during the day where they want to work.
  • Personalisation of one’s own workplace with personal belongings is impossible, which may be difficult for some workers.
  • If you have the offer of ABW, but you cannot use it, because only one work zone is usually suitable for your own task, this leads to greater employee dissatisfaction with the respective employee.

Nevertheless, it is already certain that ABW will play an increasingly important role in the planning of office space in the future, thereby driving the speed of innovation and problem-solving skills of companies.

The 4 elements of Activity Based Working

Design

The design follows the respective function of an element or room. If a certain task requires, for example, rest and concentration, one should have space for it in a relaxation room. This room should be appropriately designed to promote concentration, without distracting elements, but still cozy. For customer appointments that go over lunchtime, you could book a stylish dining room, for example. There should also be extra space for phone calls, e.g. in the form of a modern telephone booth, which offers a retreat and shields the conversation from colleagues.

Experiences for the senses

The effect and use of the respective room should be clear by the design. It should be easy for employees to see which space they use best for their task and whether a room on them is concentrating, relaxing or inspiring. This can be achieved by sensory elements. The scent of coffee, quiet background music and the presence of others invite, for example, to exchange news and information and to hold meetings in a casual way. Complete tranquility, a clean design, a free table and a comfortable chair show the user of the room that tasks that require absolute concentration can be carried out in the best possible way.

Behavioural amplification

The design and sensory information should make the room clear what is expected of the user of the room. This can be peace of mind in the work space, creativity in the stylish meeting room or the joy of communication in the entrance area. Promoting self-initiative and self-determination must also be an entrenched part of the company’s culture in order to give employees the freedom to decide which space best suits their task.

Lifelong learning

A workplace, like its employees, should constantly evolve. The successful implementation of Activity Based Working is based on the acquisition of the mindset from the entire company, both management, middle management and every single employee. Feedback loops should be implemented to learn what works and what doesn’t, and the insights from them should of course be implemented accordingly.

How is Activity Based Working implemented and applied?

Activity Based Working makes sense for many companies, especially for project-related or creative work. This is less useful for the production or operation of machines, i.e. for tasks that require a fixed space. So the first thing you need to know about this is to decide whether your company can implement ABW at all.

Assigned workplaces will be replaced by a freely selectable range of rooms and workplaces. For the rebuilding of an office building, this can be taken into account in the planning from the beginning and can be built accordingly, but even with existing premises, a lot can be achieved with Activity Based Working and restructure accordingly.
A basic requirement is a well and fast functioning Wlan, as well as laptops and mobile phones for every employee.

This makes it possible to no longer be bound to a fixed workplace and to be able to use the various rooms in a targeted manner. First, you should think about which zones are needed at all. These can be rest zones, communication zones, telephone zones and so on. You then specify how much space is needed for this and how it should be divided per room or zone.

Another basic rule is that there are no closed doors. There is, of course, an exception to confidential conversations. Otherwise, however, there should always be an open and welcoming atmosphere in which employees can wander around freely and sit in any room.
Particular attention must be paid to the exposure concept, and each working zone should also be equipped with appropriate and, above all, sufficient light. If the working zones are all in one large room, adequate ventilation must also be provided. Acoustics are also a challenge here, working only with a large room. For these topics, it is definitely worth working with professionals.

Personal items that employees would otherwise store in their permanent workplace can be stored in lockers. In any case, enough of this should be made available.

Conclusion

Whether multinational or start-up: Activity Based Working is becoming more and more popular and already implemented in large numbers. This is not only good for employers, as they can secure a competitive advantage for young talent and expect better performance and creativity from employees. The concept is also very popular with employees, as it offers variety and flexibility and breaks with traditional workplace design. However, ABW is not suitable for every company. So you should carefully weigh up the pros and cons and if you decide to do so, plan the implementation with you thoroughly. Then nothing stands in the way of your success!

Briefly Explained – The Value Proposition Canvas

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What does the Value Proposition Canvas help me with?

The Value Proposition Canvas is an ideal tool for you if you are an entrepreneur, CEO or product developer. This allows you to develop products and services that really inspire your customers and bring you sustainable sales. The model helps you to concentrate on the essentials and thus helps you to succeed. In this article, we’ll explain how the Value Proposition Canvas is structured and how to use it in the best possible way.

What is the Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas, also known as Value Proposition Design, was developed by Alexander Osterwalder as part of the Business Model Canvas.

The core of the model is the user promise that companies give to their customers. By building the model, you really have to go into detail and think about it in order to define a meaningful and added value user promise of a product or service. However, this is essential for the success of a company, but unfortunately it is all too often dealt with only superficially. The model forces you not only to pay attention to the functions or technical data, but also to really respond to the customer’s wishes and to make your offer indispensable.

What is the difference between Value Proposition Canvas and Business Model Canvas ?

With both models, business ideas can be visually displayed on a screen and displayed clearly and scalablely. The Value Proposition Canvas is the perfect complement to the Business Model Canvas. User promise is the central element of your business model.

The Value Proposition Canvas helps you to further specify the customer’s wishes and to look at the Value Propositions / Value Promise and Customer Segments / Customer Segment Element of the Business Model Canvas in detail.”

For example, the Value Proposition Canvas provides an additional, customer-centric component to the BMC. We recommend that you go through both models and apply them to your business model. If you want to improve an existing product or develop a new product, you can also use the VPC individually.

How is the Value Proposition Canvas structured?

The model consists of two sides:” Customer Segments” and ” ValueProposition“.

In the “Customer Segments” section, the customer is precisely defined and analyzed. For this purpose, the “Customer Jobs“, “Pains” and “Gains” are looked at in more detail. List only a specific customer segment to which you are editing the other fields. If you work with Post-Its, you can also use one color per customer segment throughout. Or you can use a new Value Proposition Canvas per customer segment.

The ValuePropositionsums up the requirements for the service or offer. The first part here are the “Products & Services“. As a counterpart to the Pains and Gains, the “Pain Reliever” and “Gain Creators” are specified here. In the following we explain what should be in the different elements.

Customer Jobs

The Customer Jobs describe tasks that the customer must overcome to solve a problem or challenge. Functional (e.g. pass on information), social (e.g. status)or emotional (e.g. feel good) jobs can be listed in this field.

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is the problem your customers have and how do they try to solve it?
  • What needs do your customers want to meet and what do they have to do about it?
  • What challenges do your customers have and what do they need to do to overcome them?

Pains

In the course of completing the task, the customer is confronted with “pain” in the form of frustrations and obstacles. Examples here would be incomprehensible costs, a lot of time or unpleasant emotions when completing the task.

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • What undesirable situations arise for the customer from the customer jobs?
  • Where will your customers’ expectations be disappointed?
  • Are there (perceived) risks for the customer?
  • Where does the customer have to invest too much time, money, etc.?

Gains

The Gains are the counterpart to the Pains. These “profits” are the positive experiences, goals and results that the customer achieves by solving the task. Here, too, functional, social and emotional gains should be taken into account.

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • What do your customers expect by solving this task?
  • What do your customers really want?
  • Where can your customer save on investments?

Products & Services

This field lists the functional, social, and emotional features of your offering. They are the solution to your customers’ challenges and problems, and should therefore be addressed with the insights from the fields previously worked on.

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • Which products or services do you use to fulfill the user promise?
  • Which offers help your customers complete tasks?
  • Which services or servcies are really customer-centric and meet their needs?

Pain Reliever

Pain Relievers are the painkillers you offer your customers. You fight your customers’ frustration in fulfilling tasks.

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • How does your offer prevent negative situations or emotions on the part of the customer?
  • How do you deliver a better deal to solve customer problems than competition?
  • How do you help or support the customer in solving the challenge?

Gain Creators

As a supplement and boost of Pain Reliever, you should define the Gain Creator. They not only minimize the unwanted experiences and side effects of completing a task, but also create added value and profit. The Gain Creators provide the wow effect!

Here you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • How do you meet the needs of your customers?
  • How do you make your customers’ lives easier?
  • What solutions do you offer?

How to use the Value Proposition Canvas?

The Value Proposition Canvas allows you to work systematically on your user promise. You can edit it as a team or alone, but with at least one other person it is more effective, because it is also about brainstorming. Create a relaxed and relaxed atmosphere and print the model on a large piece of paper or draw it yourself. On the Value Proposition Canvas, you work best with Post-Its. On every Post-It you write only one thought at a time! So you can simply change the position of Post-Its, use different colors to identify the affiliation of individual thoughts in the respective fields, or simply take post-Its away. Ideally, you also have your already created Business Model Canvas ready to refer to it and fill the two models together. You may also notice that you need to adjust your Business Model Canvas again.

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If you are working with a remote team or do not want to make the Value Proposition Canvas on paper for other reasons, you can also work with collaboration tools and use a digital version of the model.

The default order starts on the Customer Segment page. Start with the Customer Jobs, and then continue with pains and gains. Then go to the Value Proposition page and edit the products and services first, then the Pain Relievers and finally the Gain Creators. Within each field, rank the notes by priority. It can be a bit challenging to separate the individual fields because they are not quite separating. However, the discussion in the team and the feedback from outsiders also help.

Conclusion

The Value Proposition Canvas is an indispensable tool for user- and customer-centric development. It is suitable for start-ups as well as for established companies and helps you to develop, optimize or revise your offer. The Value Proposition Canvas serves as the basis for your pricing strategies and positioning, your marketing and your long-term success. As an alternative to the VPC, there is the Value Model Canvas, which complements the Buisness Model Canvas with values.

Disagree and Commit – Consent Finding a la Amazon

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Why should you learn about Disagree and Commit and Consent Finding?

Just three words, but a significant lesson in consensus and leadership: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos used those three words in a letter to Amazon stakeholders, shaping a new approach to corporate success. According to him, this management principle saves a lot of time, because it is faster to get people to use or engage despite the lack of consent, instead of convincing them laboriously and protractedly. This speeds up decision-making processes many times over. So you should get to work with Amazon to make decisions that are of higher quality faster. The concept can be very useful both in professional and private life. Besides, it always makes sense to be inspired by Jeff Bezos.

What is the difference between consensus and consensus?

The aim of the consensus is to eliminate all doubts and contradictions and to bring a team together. This is not necessary in the case of the Consent, it is simply a question of taking decisions more efficiently and of a higher quality than would be the case consensus. Contradictions still exist in the Consent, but action can still be taken, while consensus-building would probably still have to be discussed. This does not mean, however, that all opinions are ignored and that a decision is made blindly. Serious objections are nevertheless clarified in advance, so that the decision is not perfect, but good and safe enough to continue with it.

What is The Disagree and Commit Konsent Finding?

Jeff Bezos helped the Disagree and Commit principle to flourish, but he didn’t invent it. The phrase was first coined around 1990 and Andrew Grove is also said to have used it at Intel. The principle has famous followers, in addition to Amazon and Intel, it also uses GitLab and Sun Microsystems, for example.

The decision-making in the Konsent originates from the sociocracy. It aims to work effectively and gently with resources. The Disagree and Commit principle at Amazon is based on consensus. Once a decision has been taken, it does not have to be the consensus of all, but it is intended to support the decision and to allow action to be taken. The difference in opinion is particularly appreciated and contradictions appreciated in this method. So it does not mean that other opinions are ignored, but that you are listened to and respected. However, this should not lead to paralysis until a consensus is reached. Instead, with the support of everyone, the risk is being taken of implementing an idea that is contradictory. This is the only way to innovate, because by consensus companies are moving too slowly and, unfortunately, often only implement lazy compromises. The view that conflicts make sense before a decision has been taken, but then have a negative impact, also comes into play in this management principle.

The Disagree and Commit method also relies on mutual trust. It presupposes that you can also stand behind decisions if you do not agree with them. This can be required of the employee, but also vice versa requires the manager to trust the employees to proceed with a decision with which he or she does not entirely agree. If the Disagree and Commit principle is used, it should not be a one-way street and should always be required only by the employees, but should necessarily be based on reciprocity. Of course, this can sometimes be difficult as a manager. In order to be successful, however, executives must also be required to commit themselves to an idea or decision despite the contradiction. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos emphasizes this in particular, saying that he constantly applies disagree and commit when someone makes a suggestion to him. However, the concept is contrary to what is used in most companies. Employees “waste”a lot of time and energy on convincing supervisors and colleagues of their idea, instead of using this time and energy for meaningful and useful things. Executives also spend hours discussing with each other, often without success, in order to find a solution that satisfies everyone. This solution is usually of poor quality, as risk and conflict are avoided. All this is to be avoided by the Disagree and Commit principle.

The Disagree and Commit method can be criticized in terms of motivation. If you are not really convinced of a decision, but still feel obliged to do so, this can lead to suboptimal results. The work performance can decrease due to the lack of motivation and the satisfaction and passion for the topic can decrease. Even in direct contact with customers, this can become a danger if customers feel that the company’s employees are not fully behind the matter. Moreover, the concept should not be used to avoid conflicts and to approve everything without questioning. This would achieve exactly the opposite of what Amazon wants to achieve by implementing this concept.

Das Disagree and Commit Prinzip sollte also mit Bedacht angewendet werden und die Vor- und Nachteile gründlich und situationsspezifisch abgewogen werden.

Application and implementation of The Disagree and Commit Konsent Finding

To find a consent in a meeting or similar, the process must be moderated. The size of the group should be limited to 6 people,so that the process does not drag on too much and all points of view on the subject can be heard.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s ‘Two Pizza rule’: At a meeting, just as many people are allowed to attend a meeting as 2 pizzas are fed up.

Ideally, you define a goal before the meeting so that everyone is on the same denominator and you can work together towards that goal. This also allows you to check whether the meeting was successful. If there are already solutions to the particular problem, it is worth collecting them beforehand in order to use the time in the meeting more efficiently.

The goal of the decision to be made in the meeting, as well as the solutions already available, should be communicated to all stakeholders at the beginning of the meeting. If your employees or colleagues are not yet familiar with the principle of consensus, you should also briefly explain the process and benefits of this method.

All team members are first heard, concerns may be expressed and accepted. Questions are also answered and clarified. If there are serious objections, the decision must be amended accordingly until such objections are no longer present. Then the decision is deemed to have been taken. All those present should now really stand behind the decision, even if they have contradictions. The decision made is not perfect in the eye of some, but worth the risk to try it.

It is best to support this method with notes on a flipchart. It is also important to keep the final decision visually. The atmosphere should really encourage everyone present to feel heard and taken seriously, and also to express their views openly and to express any serious objections that are not so extroverted.

Conclusion

The Disagree and Commit method is an excellent management toolto create fast, efficient and innovative companies. Not only Amazon, but also other large companies, apply this principle and are therefore very successful. So it’s worth trying out and experiencing the Amazon-like find-out for yourself. Advantages include the speed of decision-making, the fairness of the method and a great deal of scope for decision-making. In this way, higher-quality decisions can be taken and implemented more quickly. In this way, many more new offers etc. can be tested in practice, which have the chance of success.

Kanban – A small introduction to project management with Kanban

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More organisation and better results for your private life and for large corporations? You probably think there aren’t many overlaps in recommended methods and tools for achieving this goal. But there are! Agile methods are currently on everyone’s mouth. Kanban is one of them and is successfully used by famous role models such as Microsoft and Toyota, but can also help individuals to succeed more in their private lives. If you want to learn more about this method, which enables a better and more productive workflow, we’ve summarized the most important things for you.